Fez – Morocco has long been committed to HM King Mohammed VI’s initiative towards a policy of inclusion of foreign, migrant and refugee populations, namely in the field of healthcare, said François Reybet-Degat, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Morocco, on Tuesday in Fez.
In June 2023, Morocco hosted the Third Global Consultation on the Health of Refugees and Migrants, which resulted in the Rabat Declaration, stipulating and affirming that there can be no inclusion and universal access to healthcare without the inclusion of migrants and refugees, said the UN official at the opening of an International Conference on the Health of Migrants and Refugees, jointly initiated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UNHCR, in collaboration with the Euromed University of Fez (UEMF).
The Kingdom, which has always been a country of refuge, reiterated its desire to continue this work of inclusion at the Global Refu
gee Forum held in December 2023, Reybet-Degat stressed, adding that this meeting, attended by Moroccan and foreign experts, was an opportunity to examine the ways to pursue “this very fine work of inclusion” of refugee and migrant populations in the Moroccan national health system.
Some 150 people representing ministries of health, IOM, WHO and UNHCR from Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Iraq, as well as researchers, academics and civil society representatives from Canada, Spain and the UK, are taking part in this international conference.
The conference is an opportunity to share best practices in the MENA region to improve the health and well-being of migrants and refugees. It also aims to highlight the role of research and innovative solutions to respond to the health challenges faced by these vulnerable populations.
Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse